What does the story tell us about Chekhov’s beliefs about people’s capacity for self-knowledge?
From “The Lady with the Dog”, the story tells us that Chekhov believes people’s capacity for self-knowledge is not what it seems. Dmitri Dmitritch Gurov was “attractive and elusive which allured women and disposed them in his favor” and he knew that. To him, relationships were simple and it can come as easy as it goes. His interest in one woman was never long or at least that’s what he thought until he met Anna Sergeyevna. “He was impatiently passionate, he would not move a step away from her” and even when they have parted ways Gurov couldn’t resist his longing for her. Although Gurov was so positive that he can easily forget this woman and move on he couldn’t deny his own feelings. And towards the end of the story, “In moments of depression in the past he had comforted himself with any arguments that came to his mind, but now he no longer cared for arguments; he felt profound compassion, he wanted to be sincere and tender”. One can say Gurov has changed and he also acknowledges this change for he doesn’t go against what his heart wants, to comfort the person he loves. If one were to ask Gurov if he would comfort a woman tenderly with love before he met Anna Sergeyevna I’m pretty sure he would’ve said no. Most of us would be confident in saying we know ourselves, but we wouldn’t be so confident when new people enter our social circles or when new circumstances come up in our lives. A person’s self-knowledge capacity really depends on whether the individual is able to realize and accept the changes happening around him/her.